New to me Encore 50cal barrell

[BUTTS]

I have tons of questions. I also got some Hornady 300 grain saboted bullets. Do I need some kind of lube with a sabot? The ram rod is shorter than the barrel so I assume I need some type of bullet starter? Any recommendations? BH209 or 777? Any other advice would be welcome!
 

[luckydawg13]

for powder i like to use Pyrodex i tried 777 and Blackhorn and went back to good old Pyrodex
Bullets i like shock wave the yellow tip ones. and Harvester sabots and hornady .430 xtp
( 44 magnum bullets ) work well too my hunting load is 150gr of pyrodex and a 250gr Shock wave

[buckeye509]

I am by no means an expert, having taken up with and immediately enamored with my Encore 50 caliber last year. I started using Blackhorn 209, about 90 grains by volume, pushing a Harvester sabot with Hornady 240 grain 44 caliber xtp with great accuracy and medium recoil. I find the Blackhorn 209 easy to clean up, even more so with a product called "froglube".  This year i'm experimenting with the Lee 44 caliber flatnose 310 grain bullet mold. I just cast some using pure lead (soft). I plan to use the same Harvester sabot, they fit perfectly, and try to get an accurate load in the 1400-1600 fps range. I'm thinking this would put the thump on deer at my usual shooting range at under 50 meters.

[omegahunter]

And no, do not use lube on sabots.
 
100 grains of 777 and a 250 or 300 grain Shockwave or Hornady SST seems to be a starting point load for most muzzleloaders.  And a lot of people just stop right there as it is usually a very accurate load.
 
I am sorry and do not have any experience with Blackhorn as it is too expensive for me to shoot and am afraid if I try it I will want to stick with it.     Most everyone I have heard that trys it loves it.